Reaching in the Mind
by HungerPotter
Summary: When Hermione has a terrible tragedy strike her, McGonagall gives her a special present,and fines hope in one Severus Snape.


Hermione walked briskly to her next class as she left her two best friends snickering behind her. They had once again found it funny that she was going to try to help give house-elves freedom. She thought that it was a nice plan, to write a report to the Minister of Magic, but the two boys did not understand the full purpose of persuasion. _Come on, they are 7th year boys!_ She thought, shaking her head in dissaproval. _Have they learned anything at this school?_

She walked into Potions class, her head held up high. She walked down to sit beside Neville, seeing the remains of a blush on his face. This was normally the result of Professor Snape, taunting Neville's potion making skills. She looked at him with one eyebrow raised, a concerned expression on her face. "You Okay?" She said, giving him a reassuring pat on the back. "Yeah," he explained, giving her a fake smile. "it's normal. I'll be fine." He looked away suddenly, and Hermione understood why as she heard the argument of one Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter.

"Your filthy mudblood mother would have loved to see that , now wouldn't she!" Draco screamed, and everyone in the room gave a wince at the horrible word.

Harry retorted back , "YOU WILL NOT TALK ABOUT MY MOTHER YOU FILTHY BASTARD! YOUR DEATH EATER FATHER WOULD NOT BE TOO EXCITED IF I STUPIFIED YOUR ASS!" Neville and Hermione gave a quick smirk behind Malfoy's back, seeing his shocked face. Snape strutted into the room, his robes billowing behind him, the same expression on his face. "Mister Potter," he explained, raising his eyebrows. "we do not yell in my class, or use any of that obscure language. 20 points from Gryffindor." He said, using a drawl at the end of his explanation. Hermione felt her face go red, and she stood up from her chair.

"You can't do that!" Hermione screamed, whipping her hair back from her face. "He called Harry's dead mother a mudblood!" She said, a pitiful expression on her face. Snape gave a inwardly shudder when he heard her explain that, having dwelled upon the time he called Lily Potter that same word, that word that he resented so much.

"Miss Granger we do _not_ use that pitiful excuse for a word in my class, and I swear to Merlin if you use it again, you will have utter _hell_ to pay." Snape spat back through clenched teeth. "30 points from Gryffindor, and you will have detention with me tonight." Snape ordered, regaining his calm face and tone.

Draco Malfoy smiled at Potter, now relieved that he did not have hell to pay like Hermione. Yes, he used her first name in his mind. He could not let anyone know that he thought Hermione Granger was the most amazing girl on the planet. Or how he loved how her hair flowed from her face, looking like there was constantly wind. Or how-

His thoughts were cut off when he was told to sit down, so that the potions class could start. Hermione was sitting at her desk, furious on how she was going to have to spend her evening in the presence of that pathetic excuse for a human. She sat during class, not listening to what Snape said. Having doing that, she had no clue that either one of them were staring at her.

Hermione bid Harry and Ron farwell at the Gryffindor table, in order to be early for her detention with Snape. She traveled through the corridors, and into the dungeons, where she arrived at the Potion master's door. She stood and took a deep breath. _What am I going to be doing in his chambers?_ She thought, and blushed a deep red as her mind wandered. _The stupid boys have warped my mind._ She admitted, giving herself a smirk. She knocked twice on the room door, and imediatley she heard Snape's voice.

"Come in, Miss Granger." He drawled, sitting up in his chair quickly. He wasn't looking forward to this detention, seeing as he despised Hermione Granger. He couldn't stand how she did everthing so well, and actually listened. _Shit, I'm stupid. I hate a student for paying attention._ He admitted, giving a slight smile. But he ignored the fact that they were too much alike.

Hermione opened the door slightly, and shutting it once she squeezed through. She hoped she didn't have to do anything horrible, like clean out cauldrons, or anything that dreadful. She stood in the doorway until Professor Snape looked up, and sighed.

"Well, have a seat." He insisted, looking at her like she was the stupidest person in the world. He gestured toward the seat in front of his dark wooden desk, and she quickly sat down. She played with her fingers as he sat at his desk shuffling through papers. She noticed how his dark black hair draped over his face, his scowl erased from his face as he looked at his papers. He raked a hand through his hair and Hermione thought absent-mindedly that he was quite attractive like that. _God Hermione!_ She insisted, inwardly disgusted at her thought. _I hate teenage hormones._

She finished up her thoughts as Snape handed her a stack of papers, his scowl returning to his face. "You must grade first year papers. I suggest that you aren't _that_ dimwitted to not know this." He insisted, shoving the papers closer to her as she took them. His warm hand brushed against her cold skin while he handed her a red quill, since her body wasn't used to the coldness of the dungeons. She wished his hand could give her more warmth, as she realized just how cold it was. She sighed and started grading the quizzes, surprised about how stupid first years could be.

Snape looked up from his papers, and locked his eyes there. Hermione was sitting in the chair with her feet curled up under her, and her hair up with a few loose strands. He realized how mature she looked for being a 7th year. He raised his eyebrows when she gave a chuckle and shook her head.

"Yes, Miss Granger?" he insisted, wondering on what the first year put now. She smiled but with her eyes locked on paper.

"This kid, he said to put Belladonna instead of Galanthus Nivalis in second for the memory charm." She said, her smile growing wider. "If you did that, you would basically turn purple." She shook her head and continued grading the work, while Snape's mind wandered. Her laugh was so intriguing and nice. He would have never guessed Hermione Granger's laugh, or _giggle_, should he say, would be so light and free. During class, Hermione had a focused face on, but he could tell that there was hurt somewhere in her eyes. Snape had cared for Hermione, but not in that way. She was a stupendous student, and he loved her ambition. To say the least, Hermione had almost every house in her personality, like she was meant to be in Hogwarts no matter what.

Sometimes, the sorting hat simply couldn't choose where to put a student. Some didn't have any qualities of any houses at all. So, as a resort, the hat just simply let them go where they wanted to go. That is what had happened with James Potter. But only he knew it, because James had no bravery what so ever. _Ugh_, he snickered to himself. _That insofficient worthless human did not belong at Hogwarts._

Hermione finsihed grading the potion papers, and Snape noded and dismissed her. She walked to the door, and stopped with her hand on the knob. She turned around and smiled. "You know, Professor, those essays were _atrotious._ Maybe you should teach better." And with a slight snicker, she opened the door and left her teacher with his mouth open in slight shock.


End file.
